Bids opened for five vacant Fall River schools

City businessman James Karam submitted the top bid for a property considered by many to be the most competitive of five former schools recently put out to bid. Karam’s First Bristol Corp. bid $357,000 for the Laurel Lake School.

Five bidders submitted eligible bids topping at least the $255,000 minimum bid, the amount of the appraisal.

City businessman James Karam submitted the top bid for a property considered by many to be the most competitive of five former schools recently put out to bid. Karam’s First Bristol Corp. bid $357,000 for the Laurel Lake School.

Five bidders submitted eligible bids topping at least the $255,000 minimum bid, the amount of the appraisal.

A dozen bids came in Tuesday morning for five vacant city school properties currently on the market.

The City Council Committee on Real Estate plans to begin reviewing bids within the next two weeks, Chairman Brad Kilby said.

He expects they’ll first take up the Laurel Lake and the Hartwell/Silvia school properties. Their selection does not need to be based on top price.

The five councilors on the real estate committee will decide which bid is best based on bidders’ qualifications, proposed project, price and suitability to the area and city.

Karam’s First Bristol Corp., with a record developing $450 million in properties the past 30 years, edged out on price bids of $327,500 and $300,000 by Saxon Partners LLC, Plymouth, and JMD Land Co. LLC, Swansea, respectively. JMD’s done considerable work at the Fall River Industrial Park and elsewhere.

Purchasing Agent Timothy McCoy opened two bids each for three other schools and a single bid for Lincoln School.

The minimum bid was $5,000 for the Lincoln, Belisle, Coughlin and Silvia/Hartwell properties, with one Coughlin bid not meeting the threshold.

Both Mayor Will Flanagan and Kilby reacted enthusiastically to the results after a $5,000 per school investment the city made last year for appraisals and environmental assessments to spur bidding.

“I’m very pleased with the responses on the vacant school buildings. It appears we have potential to realize over $500,000 in additional revenues,” Flanagan said.

“It’s a very good day for the city,” Flanagan said.

“I am absolutely delighted with all the bids,” Kilby said, stating the council’s new assessments proved successful. "It was a good day today."

Flanagan, targeting Laurel Lake at 152 Orswell St., cited development track records in Fall River both Karam and Michael Biszko/Jamie Duff of JMD Land Co., amassed as two of the top three bidders. All three would demolish it.

First Bristol under Karam proposes mixed retail/medical/professional uses with two buildings as large as 25,000 square feet and a $2.6 million project; Saxon, similarly proposes a 19,500-square-foot retail/office project estimated at $2.75 million. JMD is less specific while listing a $4 million financial commitment.

The rezoned “mixed business” property in the South End is just under one acre.

A potential windfall is the Belisle School, 40 Clarkson St., where local developer Thomas St. Pierre of Family Homes Construction Co. Inc. more than doubled his bid in a prior round of $101,500.

City developer Robert Kfoury bid $21,600 for Lincoln (439 Pine St.), and $20,500 for the Coughlin School (175 Pleasant St.). Kfoury, who a year ago successfully bid for the old Henry Lord Middle School, appears in line also to buy Coughlin.

In both cases he proposes rehabbing the schools for luxury apartments, condos or artist lofts.

Kfoury is scheduled to go before the Zoning Board of Appeals Thursday night at 6 p.m. for variances to build 14 single-family houses at the 615 Tucker St. Henry Lord property. He needs 8,000 square feet per lot but has between 5,460 and 6,720.

The only other bid for Coughlin was a token $9.11 by Peter Belanger, which McCoy said appears non-responsive. A contractor aligned with the arts, Belanger is trying to reclaim the “Coughlin School for Peace” the council approved for his partner to set up a non-profit entity more than a year ago. The low bid was based on the symbol of Sept. 11.

The two bids for Belisle were far apart: $251,500 by developer Thomas St. Pierre of Family Homes Construction Co., Fall River, and $5,200 by Leland Figgins of GeoSite Environmental Inc., Hopedale, proposing a $3.4 million solar panel project on the 5-acre site.

Another key property is the one-acre Silvia/Hartwell schools. The low bid amounts were close: $7,500 by C.L. Properties LLC, Somerset, and $5,000 by Greater Fall River CD-Recreation.

CD Rec head officials Jamison Souza and Grace Gerling said their plan is to raise the building and erect a $14.2 million, three-story community wellness center in partnership with up to 12 area agencies.

It would be a one-stop resource center based upon academic enrichment, cultural and recreation/wellness programs, the proposal says. The schools would be demolished and the project could reach as high as $17 million.

Flanagan said he plans to send a letter of support for only the CD-Rec proposal.